Last month I had the opportunity to visit Seiko’s UK headquarters in Maidenhead. As an avid Seiko fan, I always wanted to see what would happen here. Does the site outsource much of its work, or is it a fully functional service center? The answer may surprise you. Because Seiko UK can handle virtually everything when it comes to maintaining your modern Seiko watch.
In October, I had a chat with the Seiko UK team and asked them about a tour of their headquarters. After all, there are many British readers who love Seiko too. After a few emails, the date was set for early December. I took the ‘Lizzie Line’ to Maidenhead, my friend Lawrence (@mostlymovado) picked me up at the station and then drove the last leg to Seiko UK. This modern building is located in an office park and will be home to the regional headquarters from early 2024. A huge thank you to Linda, Rob, Robin, and Andre for generously giving up their time while we toured the facility and looked at battery replacements on historic vehicles that I have owned. Seiko Tuna Divers.
What’s going on at Seiko UK?
Seiko’s UK headquarters will be responsible for Seiko-related services, repairs and servicing for customers in the region. When a boutique or private individual sends us a watch, our team of watchmakers is on-site to create the latest Seiko timepiece. Since you asked about vintage items, this issue can be resolved. As Seiko UK offers an after-sales warranty, vintage models are usually not accepted as genuine replacement parts no longer exist. Sad, but not surprising.
Start of tour
However, with modern Seiko watches, there is little that cannot be done in the field. Our day started in a mock showroom used for training and testing new displays. After some coffee and a quick look at some of the vintage items I had brought with me, it was time to begin. Lawrence and I put on lab coats and entered the parts storage area. A large anonymous steel cabinet houses thousands of OEM Seiko parts. Interestingly, Rob who gave us the tour said that what we saw represented a significant inventory reduction compared to the old site.
Next, we entered the room where all the clocks were kept. This represents all watches received and watches ready to be returned to their owners. Here we find out that Seiko UK is replacing the movements of their cheaper models rather than repairing them. For example, when a Seiko 5 is put into service, it ships with a new automatic 4R36. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of economics and time. However, when a watch like the Marine Master 300 comes in, it will receive full service. Seiko UK can carry any watch equipped with the latest Kinetic, Solar, Spring Drive, Manual Wind and Automatic movements.
cleaning and finishing
Rob explained that the new Seiko UK facility offers several improvements compared to the old building. First, there is an abundance of natural light, which is helpful for watchmakers. Secondly, the watchmaking area is in a clean and quiet room. This means that cleaning the case, polishing, and most importantly the air compressor are in separate rooms. When it comes to case polishing, the team can work on any metal and refinish the case to a high standard, depending on the owner’s wishes.
Watchmaking room
Entering Seiko UK’s watchmaking area felt like entering a spa. It was quiet, bright, and clean. The watchmakers sit in a row facing a large window. Each has a large bench with lighting, instruments and compressed air. Many Seiko machines were on display, including accuracy testers. There was also a funky looking Seiko brand battery box for recycling.
Watch the master’s activities
To make our visit even more dynamic, the Seiko UK team kindly offered to replace the battery in my vintage watch during our visit. I had never seen a disassembled Seiko Tuna, so I brought along a newly broken 1,000 meter rated 1990 7C46 “Golden Tuna” model. I learned a few things about my watch that day. First, the watch was unlocked at some point. Second, the gasket parts on this watch are the same size and fit today’s tuna. The 7C46 is also still in production, so changes to the movement are possible. Since the new crown is slightly different, I decided to keep the original Hardlex crystal (the new model uses sapphire) and the original crown.
The watchmaker who worked on my tuna was named Andre, and he informed us that he had been with Seiko UK for 39 years (!!). By the way, Rob, who gives us tours and runs the service department, has lived here for 40 years. This is a strong confirmation of how the company treats its employees. It was fun chatting with Andre about old Seiko models while changing batteries. His knowledge was encyclopedic and I felt the passion as he discussed old movements that are rarely seen today.
Seiko Tuna disassembled at Seiko UK
A Golden Tuna battery replacement costs £120 from Seiko UK. This seems to make sense, since this watch has a monobloc case, which requires more effort than a regular quartz watch. However, when I saw the amount of seals inside the watch and the tests after reassembling it, I had a new appreciation for this work. Andre removed the bezel and click spring. Next, I removed the shroud screws and shroud.
As mentioned earlier, the Seiko Tuna features a front-loading case. We walked over to a long countertop with various gauges, and Andre unscrewed the crystal using a bench-mounted camera back removal tool. A few years ago he modified the tool insert to fit Tuna’s case. Everything opened perfectly!
Even when I returned to the bench, the gaskets continued to arrive! For the first time, I saw the L-shaped black rubber gasket that made tuna famous. Seiko was also able to avoid adding a helium valve. Andre completed the disassembly by exposing the dial and removing the crown. Then I turned the dial and the battery appeared.
Cleaning and reassembly
Andre expertly cleaned the crown threads and began replacing all the gaskets. The clock and gaskets still looked great, but the service includes these new parts. Soon we were back at the counter and Andre was pushing the crystal into the L-shaped gasket and screwing everything together.
big pressure test
Interestingly, the watch is first put into a dry low pressure tester. The 10 bar test will tell you if something is way off. The watch passed inspection, so it was time for the high pressure tester. Seiko UK tests their watches to 125% of the stated rating, which surprised me. This 35-year-old tuna is water resistant to 1,000 meters, which means it can be tested to 125 atmospheres.
Andre placed the tuna in a small chamber filled with water. Next, I added water to make sure there was no air in the column. The chamber was then closed and the wheel turned to increase the pressure. Eventually the gauge reached 125 bar and the needle held.
After this test, Andre replaced the shroud and bezel. The clock was completed, but to be honest, it was a much larger undertaking than I had imagined. It wasn’t a DIY job!
Thanks again to Seiko UK
Lawrence and I left Seiko UK feeling like the team could manage everything on site. Watches do not go back and forth to Japan. Additionally, I was impressed by the length of service of the employees and the depth of their knowledge of the brand and its history. As a long-time fan of the Japanese brand, I am now even more confident that we have a very capable local facility to keep our watches running for years to come.
